This embodiment relates generally to a technique for proofing color printed material. More particularly, the present embodiment relates to a technique for remote proofing color printed material.
Users of printing systems for producing color printed material need to predict the color and imaging behavior of the printer prior to printing the job. Typically, this has been accomplished by producing a proof print that represents the expected output of the production device. The printed copy of the stored print job provides a user of the printing system the opportunity to verify, among other things, that the job is assembled properly, image quality is acceptable and finishing is specified properly. However, such “on-press proofing” requires the displacement of other, billable, work on the press.
In addition, certain publishing environments require a complex proofing process. Such a process can involve sending a proof job by, for instance, mail to multiple recipients who, most likely, are disposed remotely of the print shop, and then waiting for each of the recipients to respond with approval or rejection of their proof. This type of proofing process has at least two significant implications relative to the print shop. First, the print shop will, most likely, have to wait a significant amount of time for recipients to receive, review and respond to the proof (e.g. days or even weeks). During this time, the print shop must retain the job on the printer and move on to other work, i.e. the storing and processing of other jobs. Second, due to the first implication, and the multiplicity of the recipients, the print shop is obligated to track, status and manage a significant number of outstanding proofs (and other associated jobs) at any particular time.
Currently, the means that a print shop typically uses to track, status and manage outstanding proofs may range from the informal, such as maintaining a written or unwritten record, to the formal, such as maintaining a record on a computer. In either circumstance a significant amount of human intervention is required through such processes as receiving telephone communications, taking notes and/or inputting information to a computer. During such processes, the chance of encountering error or delay is highly probable. For example, delay may occur when an appropriate print shop operator is not available to take a call and up date information. In the end there can be considerable cost associated with supporting such a system and additional costs can be incurred when productivity and customer satisfaction are reduced as a result of errors and delay.
More recently, monitor based proofing systems have become available that provide remote approval management capabilities such as e-mail notification to persons having proof approval rights along with the ability to remotely approve or reject the proof. Examples of remote monitor based proofing systems include Integrated Color Solutions' Remote Director™ and Kodak Polychrome Graphics' RealTimeProof™. However, the functionality of the monitor based proofing systems is limited.